Two dead as Greek firefighting plane crashes after more evacuation orders issued

An aircraft drops water over a wildfire in Vati village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. A third successive heat wave in Greece pushed temperatures back above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) across parts of the country Tuesday following more nighttime evacuations from fires that have raged out of control for days. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A Greek air force water-dropping plane crashed while diving into a wildfire in southern Greece on Tuesday, killing both pilots, as authorities battled blazes amid a return of heatwave temperatures.

The crash occurred on the island of Evia, and was aired in a state television broadcast that showed the low-flying aircraft disappearing into a canyon before a fireball was seen moments later.